


Give Him A Chance To Mend

by WhiteCatInDisguise



Series: He Will Be Found [2]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Andrew is a dick, Andrew is back, Angst, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Protective Adira and Hector, The Brotherhood moves in, Torture, Whump, and a masochist, no beta we die like men, seriously guy has no self-preservation instincsts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:55:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24521980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteCatInDisguise/pseuds/WhiteCatInDisguise
Summary: After Andrew is imprisoned and sent away, Varian can focus on another challenge, which is learning to live with his overly-protective and slightly crazy aunt and uncle.That is... until certain someone decides to make a comeback.
Relationships: Adira & Varian (Disney), Andrew | Hubert & Varian (Disney: Tangled), Hector & Varian (Disney: Tangled), Quirin & Varian (Disney), Ruddiger & Varian (Disney)
Series: He Will Be Found [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1688857
Comments: 29
Kudos: 130





	1. Not An Ordinary Family

The sun seeped in through the open window, lazily moving through the room. It shined on the sleeping face of the boy, his freckled face scrunching in grimace. He groaned and shuffled, turning to the side and covering his face with a blanket.

There was some movement in the legs of the bed, the grey animal stretching before silently walking up to the boy. It gently pawed at the head sticking out from under the blankets, chittering happily. 

The boy groaned again, one hand leaving the warmness of the blanket and trying to shoo away the animal. It didn’t help, but rather intensified the pawing and chittering. With one more groan the boy finally gave up and turned to his back, uncovering the blanket.

“Okay, okay. I’m awake now.” His blue eyes landed on the raccoon to his side. “Happy now?”

The raccoon chittered happily and turned around, jumping down the bed. It trailed towards the door, turning its head to look at the boy expectantly. 

Knowing well the raccoon won’t let him sleep any longer, the boy swung down his legs from the bed, stood up and stretched, yawning. Still a little bit sleepy, he moved towards the wardrobe, taking out his day clothes. He changed out of his pyjamas and reached out to the nightstand, picking up the goggles which he quickly put on the top of the head. 

“Let’s see what’s for breakfast, huh, bud?” He asked and the raccoon jumped up excitedly, running up his frame and setting on the boy’s shoulders. 

A gloved hand reached out to pet the animal, small smile making its way to his face. The two left the room and descended the stairs. The smell of fresh-brewed coffee and fresh-baked bread reached their nostrils, and the boy quickly made his way towards the smell. 

He entered the small kitchen and inhaled the familiar smell, smiling wildly. 

“Smells amazing, dad.” Varian said, moving towards the cabinet to fish out two cups. 

“Morning, son.” The reply came, the large man turning his head to smile at the boy. “The breakfast is almost ready.”

“I can sense that.” The boy replied with a smile, setting down the two cups on the table, moving to grab plates now.

On his way back to the cabinet he reached out for one of the apples lying in the pile, giving it to the raccoon on his shoulders. The animal chittered thankfully and bit into the fruit, munching in delight. 

The alchemist quickly set up the table, right on time for his father to put down the pot with coffee, a fresh loaf of bread, along with some ham, jam and other sandwich-materials. 

They sat down together, eating in silence. The raccoon jumped down from the boy’s shoulders and sat on one of the empty chairs, munching on his apple. 

“So, any plans for today?” Quirin asked and the boy looked up to him.

“Not really.” Varian replied, reaching for another slice of ham to put on his sandwich. “Rapunzel didn’t give me any tasks to work on, so I think I’ll go down to my lab and try to work on some of my experiments. You?”

The man nodded in response, taking a sip of his coffee, before answering. 

“Gabriel came by while I was preparing breakfast and told me yesterday’s storm knocked over some trees, one of them hitting his barn.” He took another sip of the hot drink. “They might need my help with getting it off and repairing the roof.”

“I see…” The boy replied and they sat in the silence for a few minutes. He opened his mouth to speak again, when the sound of closing door made them both jump. 

They shared a look, before the man slowly stood up and silently approached the entrance to the kitchen, grabbing a knife on his way. The alchemist tensed, blue eyes scanning the corridor. It was silent for a moment, before they heard footsteps. Someone was in the house. And they were coming their way. 

Quirin looked at his son and motioned for him to keep quiet, positioning himself by the entrance, ready to strike the intruder the moment they step inside. 

The door creaked open, the man rising a hand with the knife above his head. 

“What in the name of the moon are you doing, brother?” The woman standing in the doorway asked, her eyebrow raised in question. 

She had white hair tied in a bun, half of her face was painted red. Behind her stood a black-haired man, long hair tied in loose braids. They both stared at the man positioned by the entrance, all three eyes wide and surprised. 

“Oh… I… I’m sorry.” Quirin replied, lowering his hand and smiling apologetically. 

“We… kinda forgot you live there too.” Varian supplied and the woman laughed, her voice booming in the house. 

“That hurts, nephew.” Hector grumbled and walked in, sitting down with a sly grin. “How can you forget about your own uncle?”

“In my defence, we DID live alone for almost 14 years now.” The boy replied, his father already moving to bring more cups and plates.

“And you moved in only a couple of days ago.” Quirin added, putting down the cups and plates for the two. “Give us some time to adjust.”

“If you say so, brother.” Adira smiled and poured herself some coffee. “So, anything we can help with today?”

Quirin smiled. It was nice to have them around. 


	2. When Can We Do This Again?

It’s been two weeks since Adira and Hector decided to move in with Varian and his dad. Quirin and his son finally stopped freaking out at every sound coming from the house whenever they were together, adjusting to the fact now there were four people living in the house. 

The former Brotherhood members adjusted to the new life quicker than expected. Adira was always willing to help out the villagers in menial tasks, whether it was fixing the broken roof or simple collecting of crops. Hector, obviously, was quickly recognised as an animal person, and was often called for when the villagers needed help. He also served as a kind of scarecrow, scaring away wild animals before they can damage the crops. Although, he was generally seen talking them out, instead of actual scaring. It didn’t matter, really, as long as the village was safe. 

Varian himself was… trying. With Andrew sent away, far from the boy, he could finally relax and focus on healing, both physically and mentally. While his visible injuries healed rather fast, the wounds inflicted to his mind refused to do so, leaving scars that didn’t want to heal. Not once Quirin, Adira and Hector were woken up in the middle of the night, was it either by anxious Ruddiger or cries of the boy. 

Usually it was fairly easy to calm down the terrified alchemist, after he woke up from another dreadful nightmare. Sometimes, however, they spent the better half of the night, consoling the trembling boy. These were the times Quirin could see how broken his son really was, how the man who pretended to be his friend hurt him, if only to satisfy his own desire of justice. 

These were the times the man held Varian in a warm embrace for hours, whispering soothing words, feeling his small frame trembling under the pressure of his past. 

And these were the times both Adira and Hector hated how much time it took to travel to the Dark Kingdom and back to Corona. Hated, how long it took them to find the trail. Hated, how  **late** they were to find their nephew. And hated, how long the boy was subjected to Andrew’s twisted ideas. 

It was the morning after exceptionally vivid nightmare. It took the three of the adults and at least fifteen minutes of constant shaking and calling, before the boy finally woke up, sweat-covered and wide-eyed. His breaths were short, whole frame trembling from the night visions. He didn’t speak of what he saw, and he didn’t need to. None of them fell asleep that night.

Hector was strolling through the village, his bearcats trailing behind. Villagers claimed before they moved in, wild animals almost every night threatened the village, stealing the cattle, destroying crops, scaring people half-to-death. Truth be told, Hector couldn’t fathom how much of it was true. Since he and Adira started living in Old Corona, he’d seen maybe two or three wolves. The only ‘wild’ animal he saw on the daily basis, was the little raccoon his nephew kept as a pet. Clever little thing, he must admit. 

Speaking of which, his trained eyes spotted the blur of grey on one of the apple trees. The raccoon snatched two apples from the branch, before climbing down and setting on Varian’s shoulders. The boy looked up from the book he was reading, seated under the tree, and smiled gratefully. 

“Thanks, bud.” He ruffled the raccoon’s head and the animal bumped against it, craving for affection. 

“You trained him well.” Hector spoke up, approaching the boy. Varian startled for a moment, relaxing when he saw his uncle. 

“I didn’t exactly train him.” He replied, smiling sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck. Hector rose an eyebrow, surprised. 

“You can’t expect me to believe you didn’t teach him to do that.” The man crossed his arms and looked at the raccoon, happily munching on his apple. 

“I didn’t.” Varian repeated and shrugged. “I always shared food with him and took care of him. I guess he just learned to do the same for me.”

As if to confirm the statement, Ruddiger chittered and pawed at the boy’s cheek. Varian laughed at his uncle’s surprised gaze.

“He always does that when he tries to comfort me.” He petted the animal gently. “I guess, we just learned to understand each other without words.”

“Interesting.” Hector hummed and grabbed his chin in deep thought. So his nephew didn’t train the raccoon in any way, and still, the animal acted like a well-trained dog of some sort. 

His train of thoughts was interrupted by the most peculiar sound he’d ever heard. It sounded like… well, he didn’t know what it reminded him of, but he could feel the vibrations behind the sound. His green eyes looked for the source, and he was shocked to see it came from his bearcats.

The two, usually wild and aggressive if not put into place by the man, laid curled up against the boy, one of them unceremoniously showing its belly, which the alchemist was rubbing with a smile on his face. never before had Hector seen them acting like that. 

“What… what are they doing?” He breathed out in shock, mouth agape. Varian turned to meet his uncle’s eyes and cocked his head in question.

“Um… I do believe it’s called purring.” He said, stopping scratching, only to earn a playful pat in the hand, claws hidden. He chuckled and resumed his previous actions. “And this one just  **loves** belly-rubs, don’t you?” 

The bearcat barked in response, a content smile on its face. Hector stood frozen, wondering what has happened to his animals. 

“What did you do?” He questioned. Blue eyes stared at him in confusion.

“Nothing? I think they saw how I pet Ruddiger and got jealous.” Varian answered. 

The raccoon in question jumped down from his shoulders and positioned itself against the other bearcat, both animals sighing in content and continued  _ purring _ . Hector must have stared for too long, because Varian looked at his in puzzlement again. 

“You want to..?” The alchemist asked and it took the man a moment to realise he was asking if he wanted to pet the animals. The wild and dangerous animals he trained himself. The same animals which laid sprawled on the grass, looking like simple pets. 

“You shouldn’t spoil them too much.” He grunted, stepping closer and sitting down next to the boy. His hand hovered over the other bearcat, finally gently falling on its fur, moving gently. The  _ purring _ intensified and it startled Hector and caused Varian to chuckle at his expression. 

“You never did that before, did you?” The boy asked as Hector once again slowly moved his hand against the fur.

“Not really. They don’t act that way around me.” He replied truthfully, a small smile creeping up his lips. “It’s nice, though. I never noticed how soft it was. The fur, I mean.”

Varian nodded and picked up his book again, one hand still rubbing the bearcat’s belly. They sat for few more minutes, before Hector got an idea.

“Have you ever ridden a rhino?” 

\---

Turned out Varian never rode a rhino. He knew the basics of riding a horse, so at least he knew how to sit in the saddle. It took few minutes for the boy to adjust to the rhythm of the animal. Ruddiger sat on the alchemist’s shoulders, the bearcats running along. Hector sat behind his nephew, his arms securing him in place, making sure he won’t fall off. 

The man could sense the exact moment Varian finally got a hang of the riding. His shoulders relaxed and his grip on the man’s arms loosened. He took a deep breath, before turning his head slightly to face his uncle. 

“Can it go faster?” He asked and Hector grinned. 

With a quick ‘Hold on tight’ he clicked his tongue an the rhino shot forward. He could hear a gasp of surprise, before Varian laughed. They ran through the forest, trees and rocks swishing by. The boy spread his hands and laughed, enjoying the wind pulling on his hair. 

It was two hours later, when they finally got back, both grinning, adrenaline pumping in their veins. Hector got down first, Varian jumping down soon after. His legs wobbled and he swayed, the man steadying him quickly. 

“That was fun.” The boy smiled brightly at his uncle, pushing away and this time, he managed to stay on his feet. 

“It was.” Hector replied and patted the rhino. It growled and went towards the stables, where it slept. 

“I… thank you. I really needed that.” Varian scratched his neck and looked away. “Can we do this again?” He asked, eyes looked up to him, sparkling, a smile on the boy’s face. 

“Anytime you want, nephew.” Hector smiled back. He was probably getting too soft. But he didn’t mind that at all. 


	3. I'll Make A Man Out Of You

A swish in the air was the only warning he got. With a panicked gaze he jumped away, tripping on his feet. The blade slashed milimetres from his nose, hitting the grass. He gulped, cold chill running down his spine as he thought what would happen if he didn’t react in time. 

“Too slow.” A female voice called out and the blade slashed again. 

He tried to crawl away, not having enough time to rise back to his feet properly. His back suddenly hit something hard and rugged. He shot a panicked gaze to the side, trying to find the escape route. His eyes looked forward, only to be met with a tip of the blade to his throat. 

“And, you’re dead.” The same female voice exclaimed with a sigh, before the blade was lowered. “Again.”

Adira sheathed her blade and reached out a hand, helping Varian to his feet. He gave her an annoyed huff but didn’t decline the help. 

“How do you do that?” He asked for the uptenth time since she started to train him. “I can barely see you move, less hear.”

“Years of hard training, nephew.” She replied with a smile as she clasped her hands behind her back. 

“Then how do you expect me to beat you after, what, a week?” The boy huffed, reaching down for his own blade, a gift from his aunt. 

“I don’t.” She answered matter-of-factly. He shot her a dirty glare, but she ignored it. “I expect you to fight back and not end up dead before the fight even begins.”

“Why should I even learn swordfight?” Varian asked again, glaring at the sword he was holding. “I can fight with my alchemy just fine.”

“You can’t always expect to have it on you to save your butt, nephew.” Adira explained with a sigh. “You don’t take your lab with you when you go for a walk, do you?”

“I don’t go for walks.” He countered, sheathing his sword and crossed his arms on his chest.

It wasn’t the first time they had this talk since she took it on herself to train him. His faith in alchemy was adorable, but she refused to leave him before any sort of alternative way to protect himself. 

“Look, Varian. I know for the most time of your life you depended on your alchemy.” She tried again, hoping to finally get to him. “But you have to be able to defend yourself without it.”

“What for? It’s not like there is any danger or anything.” Varian argued. “After all An-” He stopped mid-sentence and coughed..” I mean, why would anyone even attack me?” 

“It’s safety precaution.” Adira replied smoothly. “Yes, that man is no threat now, but you can’t say for sure you won’t be in any immediate danger again.”

She noticed how the boy cringed at the mention of Andrew, but she didn’t mention it. She didn’t also mention the fact, she has nightmares of that time too. Nightmares where she’s not fast enough. Nightmares where they arrive too late. 

She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts, eyes focusing on her nephew.

“I just want you to be safe.” She said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “As much as it pains me to say this, neither me, nor your uncle or father can always be there to save you. I have to be sure you can, at least, hold your own long enough for us to get there.”

Varian sighed and looked up to her, blue eyes meeting brown. 

“Okay, auntie.” He finally agreed and Adira sighed in relief. She smiled and clasped her hands, startling the boy.

“Great, enough chit-chat. Let’s do another round.” A mischievous grin appeared on her face. “And if you manage to hit me at least once, I can show you some martial skills I used to defeat your father back in the days.”

Varian’s eyes sparkled with interest and the woman’s grin widened. She saw how he took up the stance, a determined look in his eyes. 

~~~~~~

“Slow down, son. You’re going to choke.” Quirin laughed at the speed of Varian’s wolfing down the ham sandwich. The boy munched for a moment, before swallowing.

“Aunt Adira promised to teach me a cool move today.” He replied hastily, downing the glass of water in one large gulp. 

“And since when are you so interested in her training?” The large man pointed out intrigued, one eyebrow rising in.

It was a valid question. Since Adira decided to train Varian in swordfight and martial skills, the boy did nothing but complain. It didn’t seem he was so into learning anything, which is why his current behaviour puzzled Quirin. 

“It’s a secret.” Varian flashed his dad a toothy grin. He quickly gathered his plate and glass, placing them in the washing basin. “I’m going to clean that up later!” He called out, before running off through the door. 

“Well, colour me surprised.” Hector commented from his spot on the other side of the table, as both men looked at the alchemist’s retreating back. “I didn’t think the kid will get so interested in fighting. Didn’t strike me as the type.”

“I’m curious about this ‘special move’ he was talking about.” Quirin nodded. “I’ve never seen Varian so enthusiastic about anything other than science.”

“Well, either way, it’s good he finally picks up some skills.” The black-haired man shrugged, sipping on his tea. Ruddiger was sprawled on his shoulders, and he petted him absentmindedly, the bearcats dozing off by the man’s legs. “Makes you less worried.”

“I would prefer to not be worried at all.” Quirin sighed tiredly. 

Last night was one of the rough ones. None of them got as much sleep as they would like to. The man could still hear the piercing scream of his son, waking him up in the middle of the night. Varian didn’t tell them what the nightmare was about, but if they had to guess, it probably was about  **that man** again. 

“Wouldn’t we all?” Hector shrugged, but the man could see he was as anxious as he was. 

It’s been two whole months since the incident and nothing seemed to indicate the soon end of nightmares. Varian was fairing far better during the day now, but the nights still were a problem. 

Quirin let out another sigh and for the uptenth time wished they could all go back to how it was before. 


End file.
